Atelomastix bamfordi, Edward & Harvey, 2010

Edward, Karen L. & Harvey, Mark S., 2010, A review of the Australian millipede genus Atelomastix (Diplopoda: Spirostreptida: Iulomorphidae) 2371, Zootaxa 2371 (1), pp. 1-63 : 12-13

Atelomastix bamfordi , sp. nov.

Figs. 4 , 51 , 81, 82.

Type material: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: holotype male, Mount Jackson area , 30°13’30"S, 119°09’40"E, hand collected under leaf litter, 18 August 2006, W. Bancroft, B. Metcalf ( WAM T 86853) . Paratypes: 2 males, collected with holotype ( WAM T 86851) ; 1 male, 2 females, collected with holotype ( WAM T 86852) .

Other material examined: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Marvel Loch, St Barbara Operation : 2 males, 3 females, Burbidge area , 31°32’32”S, 119°35’18”E, hand collected in leaf litter, 30 July 2008, P. Cullen, P. Langlands ( WAM T96101, T96088) ; 3 males, same data except 31°33’33”S, 119°34’27”E ( WAM T96084, T96091, T96093) ; 2 males, 2 females, same data except 31°33’33”S, 119°34’06”E ( WAM T 96095) ; 2 males, 2 females, Cornishman area , 31°19’19”S, 119°24’02”E, hand collected in leaf litter, 1 August 2008, P. Cullen, P. Langlands ( WAM T 96094) ; 2 males, 1 female, same data except 31°18’18”S, 119°23’36”E ( WAM T96096, T96087) ; 1 male, 3 females, same data except 31°25’26”S, 119°28’42”E, 31 July 2008 ( WAM T 96092) ; 1 male, same data except 31°17’17”S, 119°22’14”E ( WAM T 96099) ; 2 males, 1 female, Transvaal area , 31°17’18”S, 119°19’36”E, hand collected in soil, 29 July 2008, P. Cullen, P. Langlands ( WAM T96098, T96100) . Koolyanobbing : 2 males, 3 females, Koolyanobbing Range, 30°48’S, 119°35’E, beneath rocks of ironstone hills, 31 July 2007, M. Bamford ( WAM T 67125) ; 1 male, 10.0 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°52’13.2”S, 119°36’14.1”E, hand collected in leaf litter, 19 August 2009, R. Teale ( WAM T 98805) ; 2 males, 3 females, same data except 10.5 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°52’22.94”S, 119°36’31.25”E ( WAM T98814–98818 ) ; 1 male, 3 females, same data except 10.7 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°52’25.10”S, 119°36’31.25”E ( WAM T98819–98822 ) ; 3 males, 2 females, same data except 30°52’25.3”S, 119°36’49.1”E ( WAM T98828–98832 ) ; 4 males, 2 females, same data except 11 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°52’27.7”S, 119°36’43.9”E ( WAM T98823–98827 , T 98851) ; 2 males, 1 female, same data except 12.5 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°53’26.7”S, 119°37’05.2”E, 21 August 2009 ( WAM T98838–98840 ) ; 2 males, 2 females, 13.2 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°53’07”S, 119°37’59.7”E, 20 August 2009 ( WAM T98834– 98837 ) ; 4 males, 2 females, same data except 3.5 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°50’25.4”S, 119°32’32.8”E, 23 August 2009 ( WAM T98846–98850 ) ; 1 male, 3 females, same data except 5.5 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°51’06.5”S, 119°33’43.1”E ( WAM T98843–98845 ) ; 1 male, same data except 6.7 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°51’13.5”S, 119°34’26.8”E, 22 August 2009 ( WAM T 98842) ; 2 males, 4 females, same data except 9.9 km SE of Koolyanobbing , 30°52’12.25”S, 119°36’14.29”E, 19 August 2009 ( WAM T98806, T98808– 98809, T98811–98813 ) . Windarling : 5 males, 2 females, 91.0 km NNW of Koolyanobbing , 30°00’34.7”S, 119°18’53.1”E, 15 August 2009, R. Teale ( WAM T98794–98800 ) ; 9 males, 5 females, same data except 91.3 km NNW of Koolyanobbing , 30°00’36”S, 119°18’44.03”E, 14 August 2009 ( WAM T98780–98793 ) ; 6 males, 4 females, same data except 91.3 km NNW of Koolyanobbing , 30°00’39.6”S, 119°18’50.11”E, 17 August 2009 ( WAM T98801–98804 , T98807, T98810) .

Etymology: The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Mike Bamford who has collected other species of Atelomastix in Western Australia.

Diagnosis: Atelomastix bamfordi differs from other species by the short, broad distal end of sclerite c. Also, sclerite b is much longer than sclerite c, is relatively broad and short, curved sub-distally, and tapers slightly to form a very small pointed tip. The distal hood of sclerite a is very broad and extends past the tip of sclerite b and c and almost entirely obscures the short pseudoflagellum.

Description: Male (holotype). Colour: generally yellow-brown, legs brown, gonopods golden brown; prozonites mottled chocolate brown, metazonites mottled chocolate brown in preserved specimens.

Body: ca. 33 mm long and ca. 2.2 mm wide at collum. With 53 trunk segments, 95 pairs of legs, last 2 segments without legs.

Head: with ca. 48 ocelli ( Fig. 51 ), arranged in 6 rows (4: 7: 9: 10: 11: 7).

Gonopods: anterior gonopods ( Figs. 81, 82) with light to medium sclerotisation, 2.2 times longer than broad; sclerite a with swollen base that forms very broad, curved distal hood that extends beyond tip of sclerite b; upper distal face of sclerite a with 24 short blunt setae; pseudoflagellum relatively short and almost entirely obscured beneath broad distal hood; sclerite b broad, curved sub-distally, slightly tapering to form a very small pointed tip, with 9 short setae; basal process of sclerite b short, 0.04 times length of main process; sclerite c much shorter than sclerite b, without concavity, but indented slightly sub-distally, with broadened distal tip, with 5 setae near indentation; sub-basal setae not visible where sclerites overlap and group of 11 short setae sub-basally on sclerite c; posterior gonopods inconspicuous, small, with several small setae on interno-lateral face of each gonopod.

Dimensions (mm): holotype male: length ca. 33, width ca. 2.2, L/W=15.0; sclerite a 1.288 / 0.589, setae 24; sclerite b 0.443, basal process of sclerite b 0.035, setae 9; sclerite c 0.867, setae 5.

Female. Similar to male, other than sexual characters, and slightly larger.

Distribution and habitat: This species occurs at several locations in the central wheatbelt region of Western Australia ( Fig. 4 ), including the Koolyanobbing and Windarling Ranges, Marvel Loch, and Mt Jackson. The specimens were found in or under leaf litter, in soil or under stones.

Figures

FIGURES 4–6. Recorded distributions of Atelomastix species: 4: A. nigrescens Attems (●) and A. bamfordi, sp. nov. (․); 5: A. danksi, sp. nov. (●), A. francesae, sp. nov. (․), A. julianneae, sp. nov. (♦), A. mainae, sp. nov. (), A. rubricephala, sp. nov. () and A. tigrina, sp. nov. (̝); 6: A. albanyensis Attems (●), A. attemsi, sp. nov. (․), A. ellenae, sp. nov. (♦), A. montana, sp. nov. (), A. poustiei, sp. nov. () and A. tumula, sp. nov. ().

FIGURES 48–59. Lateral view of head: 48: Atelomastix albanyensis Attems, male from Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Western Australia (WAM T76043); 49: A. anancita, sp. nov., male holotype from Cape Arid National Park, Western Australia (WAM T83177); 50: A. attemsi, sp. nov., male paratype from Millinup Pass, Porongurup Range National Park, Western Australia (WAM T69763); 51: A. bamfordi, sp. nov., male paratype from Mount Jackson, Western Australia (WAM T86852); 52: A. brennani, sp. nov., male holotype from Mount Le Grand, Le Grand National Park, Western Australia (WAM T83222); 53: A. culleni, sp. nov., male paratype from Mount Groper, Western Australia (WAM T78621); 54: A. danksi, sp. nov., male paratype from Toolbrunup Peak, Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia (WAM T70203); 55: A. dendritica, sp. nov., male holotype from Woody Island, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia (WAM T47933); 56: A. ellenae, sp. nov., male paratype from Walpole, Valley of the Giants Road, Western Australia (WAM T69668); 57: A. flavognatha, sp. nov., male holotype from Quaalup Homestead, Western Australia (WAM T73955); 58: A. francesae, sp. nov., male holotype from near Tree Top Walk, Walpole, Western Australia (WAM T47953); 59: A. gibsoni, sp. nov., male holotype from Ravensthorpe Ranges, Western Australia (WAM T83220).